Gearbox: Borderlands 2 50-60% bigger than original

Gearbox has revealed that Borderlands 2 is roughly 50-60 per cent larger than its predecessor.

Chatting with Games Master, Gearbox vice president Steve Gibson said that the scale of the game is only possible due to the evolution in technology, noting such feats wouldn’t have been possible in the original Borderlands.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it was about 50-60% bigger [than Borderlands 1]," he said. "But it's also so much denser. Heck, just the city of Sanctuary, something like that couldn't exist in the first game. Our technology has evolved a lot to enable us to do that now."

Gibson also noted that players don’t have to be familiar with Borderlands 1 to enjoy the sequel.

"A decision that was made at the very beginning of the game was that at no point at any time could someone in the story or design team ever assume that some person has played Borderlands 1. You just start it from scratch.

"There are cute winks at different things. For example, we have this thing where if you played the first one we detect your saved game and you get some cool unlocks."

Borderlands 2 is due out on PlayStation 3, PC and Xbox 360 in mid-September.